The Me I Meant To Be by Sophie Jordan

* * * * 1/2

Girl Code: Never date a friend’s ex.

Willa Evans has no intention of breaking the code. So what if she’s always secretly loved her next-door neighbor Zach? As her best friend’s boyfriend, he was always off-limits and it needs to stay that way, even though they just broke up. Even though every time she turns around he’s there, tempting her…
 
No keeping secrets from your bestie.

Flor Hidalgo has a lot on her plate: her breakup with Zach, her dad’s new dating life, and her struggling grades. So why can’t she stop thinking about her hot, know-it-all tutor? At least she’s got Willa, her constant in the chaos.
 
Breaking the code breaks friendships.
 
Two friends find themselves tempted by love that defies the rules in this steamy romance perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Simone Elkeles.

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


I absolutely enjoyed Sophie Jordan's latest YA offering because this one focused on a theme that I can relate to and am witnessing right now through my two teens: the changing nature of friendships.

Willa and Flor have been besties for a long time and have seen each other through ups and downs. While Willa likes to be in the background, Flor is the more popular friend at the forefront. But things are slowly changing. Flor recently broke up with Zach who happens to be Willa's nextdoor neighbor so it kind of puts her in an awkward situation. While Flor is fixated on why Zach broke things off with her and how she can win him back, Willa's just trying to work out how she can remain friends with both of them and also loyal to Flor. And because of her loyalty and their friendship, Willa has made a silent vow to herself to never allow her long held secret crush on Zach to go any further than that. Flor's way of coping is to create the Girl Code, a set of rules that girlfriends should adhere to in order to support each other and lift each other up. Poor Willa feeling treacherous inside, although Flor isn't faring any better because she's developing strange feelings for her math tutor, Grayson who is the exact opposite of Zach and who shouldn't even be occupying space in her head when she's trying to get back together with him.

Each chapter is headed by a Girl Code entry that has a tie-in to that chapter. It's quite cute. With the POV switching between Willa and Flor there's an abundance of emotion, confusion, angst and flirting flying about. I love how well Jordan handles both their stories, giving them equal time. She treats their friendship delicately - which it is at the moment - while also showing how Willa and Flor are gradually diverging on their own paths. The matter of loyalty is constantly brought up, as is the idea of family and what that should mean. Willa and Flor are each experiencing changes within their families and I can say that what's going on with Flor's astounded me. 

There is a third friend in the mix, Jenna whose story isn't delved into. I wish there could've been a way to flesh out her storyline as well but I can also see why Jordan just kept it to the two main girls. Jenna's brief appearances do initiate the topic of self-acceptance, and the painful reality of how how hard it can be to be honest with your family about something you've come to know about yourself. 

I fell in love with this book and its honesty about the inevitable changes that come with simply growing older. Even though boys are in the picture for Willa and Flor, The Me I Meant to Be is truly about the girls' friendship, growth and acceptance. Girl Code is important but it's also just a guide. Any friendship will face its test but it rests on the individuals involved to see that their friendship survives. 

~ Bel

Honesty by Seth King

* * * * *

A radiant story of first love and self-acceptance for fans of John Green, Jandy Nelson, and Rainbow Rowell

“Maybe we weren’t meant to collide. Maybe we were meant to explode.”

As a closeted teenager in the Deep South with a holy-roller father and the scars to prove it, bookworm Cole Furman has resigned himself to experiencing life and love only within the pages of his favorite novels. But after Nick Flores seems to walk off a page and starts to rewrite his story, Cole finds his dreams spinning into a dazzling – and complicated – reality.

If you have ever found yourself on the wild breathless thriller ride that is young love, Honesty will rip you back again in screaming color.

Seth King is a remarkable writer. He has a gift for describing things, especially feelings, making them jump off the pages and come to life.  Honesty is the fourth novel of his that I’ve read. I dare say it’s his most profound work and it’s by far my favourite!

How does Honesty shine? It’s brutally truthful about what it’s like for a gay teen who has accepted his sexuality but who has to suffer the ignorance of others. It’s achingly blunt about what it’s like to fall in love with someone who hasn’t come to terms with who they are. It’s eye-opening about how expectations can crush someone’s spirit. It makes the reader reconsider every preconceived notion they had about what it means to be gay in a world that isn’t always so welcoming. I consider myself an open-minded person and I was wowed by Cole’s thoughts! Some things he said are just common sense but in King’s descriptive prose, they’re simply enlightening because he’s offering us a broader perspective.

Falling in love for the first time is exciting and scary. In Honesty, those feelings are amplified because neither Cole nor Nick is exactly certain about how to pursue their relationship while also keeping it a secret for Nick’s sake. It’s heartbreaking how badly Nick wants to let go and love Cole but he’s afraid about the repercussions when his family finds out. Cole on the other hand, just wants to love and be loved unconditionally but willingly plays by Nick’s rules in order to keep him in his life. Living in a town where they have to suppress their feelings and monitor their movements leads to a kind of ferocity and intensity that plays out when they’re alone. I was hanging by every word on every page.

On the eve of its release, King published an article about how Honesty was drawn from his real life experience. It’s a story that he has waited to tell at the right time. I’ll admit that that has influenced my perception of this book. I think as an author you’re vulnerable. When drawing from personal history it has to be a frightening undertaking not knowing how that story will be received. I bring this up because King does not hold back as he wraps you up in Cole and Nick’s journey through the highs and many lows of their love affair.

Five stars is inadequate to describe how brilliant and important Honesty is. It's a treasure that joins the ranks of two other books that I hold close to my heart. It will undoubtedly be in my Top 10 of 2016. And considering that there's so much in the news lately regarding the LBGT community, everyone should read this masterpiece and open their eyes and hearts.

~ Bel

A Peek In The BiblioBin #190

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.



Purchased:

The Rain In Spain by Amy Jo Cousins



Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker

Honesty by Seth King

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

* * * *

One single mom. One chaotic family. One quirky stranger. One irresistible love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You.

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your maths whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Maths Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages... maybe ever.

One Plus One is told from four POVs – Jess, Ed, Tanzie and Nicky. Entrepreneur Ed is in legal hell due to allegations of insider trading. Jess is a single mom, trying to make ends meet for her daughter and stepson by cleaning houses. Tanzie is a very gifted student and an incredible mathematician who has the opportunity to go to a swanky private school that would nurture her brain if only she can scrounge up the money for it. Nicky is her older half-brother who would love to see her escape their neighbourhood and public school where he’s often picked on and beaten up by the neighbourhood bully. The only connection that Jess has to Ed is that she cleans his house.  One day, as he’s driving he sees Jess and her family by the roadside talking to the police. Jess was pulled over (see she’s not supposed to be driving and that car she was driving was a bit of a disaster.) Ed jumps in to offer them a ride to Edinburgh so that Tanzie can make the maths competition. Jess accepts out of sheer desperation and lack of a better option. Ed does it for no other reason than to just do something good in his already messed up life.

It's hard not to love this story that’s paced so well allowing the characters to develop and open up. Everyone starts out with an idea about themselves, what they’ve done with their lives so far and how they fit into the scheme of things. Throughout the course of the book, each character’s perspective is altered. Previous preconceptions are slowly stripped away as they learn about what the other’s reality is. Being with Jess’ family gives Ed a glimpse of what life’s like for a family on a very limited income. One particularly enlightening conversation takes place when Tanzie recounts a list of what a certain amount of money can buy them at the store. Ed is by no means a millionaire but he lives comfortably. The point of that conversation being that he doesn’t have to worry about money every day whereas Jess has to account for every bit of it daily, and choose between which bill takes precedence over the other. Same goes for Jess when she learns of the legal troubles he’s facing. Just goes to show you that you can’t make assumptions about people. Tanzie and Nicky are quieter, offering introspective but illuminating views of the world through their inner monologue.

This is a motley crew of awkward people who come together through fate or coincidence – whatever you’d like to call it. It’s a big risk for these strangers to trust one another and along the journey, they discover more about themselves as they do about each other. There are laughs, tears, ridiculous scenarios and also triumphant moments that’ll warm your heart. One Plus One made a fan out of me, so much so that I immediately bought Moyes’ other book, Me Before You as soon as I was done with it. I really enjoy her writing and how she allows her characters to tell their stories without feeling rushed. If you’re looking for an entertaining summer read that leaves you feeling very content, then add One Plus One to your list.

 ~ Bel

Upside Down (Off The Map #1) by Lia Riley Blog Tour & Giveaway

*** 1/2

Book #1 in the OFF THE MAP series

New Adult Contemporary Romance

If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying good-bye to the past-and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

This is a story about two people who have been through intense experiences. One has loved intensely and one has been dealt an intense loss. Both of them wear emotional masks, building up walls and adopting personas that they feel are expected of them. For some reason when Talia and Bran meet, they are the only ones who can see past those layers and that’s scary. The vulnerability they bring out in each other is too much to handle. There is a lot of pushing away. But things that are meant to be will find a way to be.

It wasn’t necessarily the romance that grabbed my attention. It was the author’s note at the beginning about mental health, specifically OCD. Talia always needs to be in control and has developed a routine with many things from light switches to car radios. She’s well aware of how her issues can impair her social activities.  Therefore, this journey to Australia which will remove her from her present life is not only her chance to leave behind a very painful past but also an opportunity to reinvent herself into someone who is better or "well". You know people like to joke about having OCD very so often but it’s a serious subject. Fortunately in this case, Talia is functional because she’s had the benefit of counseling and medication to help her. However, there are various triggers that cause her to withdraw and fall back such as her uneasy and dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

Bran’s the commitmentphobe who goes through great lengths to keep up his jerk-like demeanor. Their initial meeting is not spectacular and he doesn't bother to ingratiate himself to her. Despite this, their interaction is just enough to get under each other’s skin. He notices immediately her quirks and calls her on them and that catches her completely off guard. Even those supposedly closest to her had never noticed.  So what is it about THIS guy that gets to her? In turn she calls him on his BS which only prompts him to kick it up a notch. Their flirty moments are fun and made especially entertaining because of Talia’s misunderstanding of the local vernacular that she’s still getting used to.

Upside Down offers plenty to get wrapped in from the beautiful sights of Australia to the growing tension and sometimes discord between Bran and Talia. In the end, it’s about deciding to face their shortcomings and fears to take a risk on falling in love with someone who can see right through them. This is the first in the Off The Map series and I’m looking forward to more.

~ Bel

* * * Excerpt * * *

“Is it true you have no regrets, not even one?” Hopefully he has no idea how dead serious I am in his response.

“There’s no point.” His fingers tighten infinitesimally on the wheel. “The past is the past. That’s it.”

“Like whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?”

“No, that’s a dumb-ass cliché. I mean there’s no meaning to life, despite what people pretend. Once I figured that out, everything got easier.”

“Has anyone ever said you are intense?”

“Since the day I was born.” He checks the rearview mirror. “So I got to ask you something. Maybe I’m presuming but—”

“If that’s your lead-in, then you’re probably correct.”

“You don’t fool me.”

He’s right. No matter how hard I try to hide and pretend away my crazy, Bran sees too much.

“But you try to fool everyone, don’t you?” He turns and catches me staring. “With the act. You, all breezy, cute as hell, always smiling like we’re at some big-deal party. You know what I think—”

“No, actually.” Wait, I’m cute? He thinks I’m cute?

“Not sure what your issue is, but—”

“I’m fine,” I mutter tightly. Reality wanders back, as unwelcome as a drunk uncle at a family picnic. Let’s face it, no one wants to be around a girl with issues. “Really, I’m all good.” Right, I sound like a five-year-old watching worms die in puddles.

* * * Meet The Author * * *

After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, LIA RILEY scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. When not torturing heroes (because c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

Website      Facebook    Twitter    Tumblr    Goodreads

* * * Giveaway * * *

And finally, we can't have a blog tour without a giveaway, right? Since Upside Down is set in Australia, Forever Romance has put together this fantastic Australian-themed giveaway! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway